Walkie forklifts or stackers have a tiller, with which the forklift is steered. The tiller articulates on the mount for the pivoting drive-steer wheel of the forklift. The free end of the tiller is provided with a tiller head, which has operating elements for operating the forklift. These operating elements include a drive control switch and a switch arrangement for operating the lifting mechanism of the forklift.
DE 195 23 921 A1 describes a tiller with a tiller head of the type described above. This tiller head comprises a horn, which is arranged as an extension of the tiller shaft, and rodlike grips, which extend more or less transversely to the horn on both sides of the horn and which are connected with the horn or the tiller by arm sections that are joined to the outer ends of the grips and extend approximately parallel to the horn and by carrier sections connected with the arm sections. The arm sections and carrier sections form a protective yoke with grip recesses. A drive control knob is provided between the grip and the horn and is supported on the horn in a way that allows it to pivot approximately about the axis of the grip. Several push buttons for operating the lifting mechanism of the forklift are arranged on each side of the horn. They are operated by being pushed by the fingers of the operator. The push buttons are mechanically connected with microswitches mounted in the tiller head.
A disadvantage of this tiller head is that the use of the push buttons requires openings in the housing of the tiller head. These openings must be sealed to prevent moisture and contaminants from getting inside the tiller head. The rubber gasket necessary for this purpose is expensive to produce and is also sensitive, since repeated operation can lead to the development of cracks and thus points that are no longer tightly sealed in the areas which are flattened by pressing. Especially if a forklift that has untight points of this description is exposed to rain or is washed with a steam jet cleaner, moisture can get inside the tiller head and destroy electrical components located there.